Stories
-
Opportunity Finance Network: It takes more than money to serve the underserved
As mission-driven lenders, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) invest their funds and capacity building in underserved areas. Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) supports these unique organizations, working with the Fed to understand CDFIs’ impact.
-
National Disability Institute and city partners push for an inclusive economy accessible to all
People with disabilities are more likely to be unbanked and underemployed. The National Disability Institute has a plan and the right partners—including the Cleveland Fed—to change this pattern and make the economy more accessible for everyone.
-
Intermediary connects projects, people, and dollars
Invest Appalachia and the Fed have joined forces to help rural communities and small towns turn investment-worthy ideas into investment-ready ones.
-
Investing from within: Native CDFIs help their people find home
Native CDFIs use creative approaches to help their neighbors navigate homeownership in Indian Country, making notable progress even at their smaller scale. But they can’t do it alone. Learn how other lenders can join NCDFIs to connect Native homebuyers with the loans they seek.
-
Numbers aren’t the whole story: Why community partnership matters
Numbers can only tell you so much. To truly understand how people experience the economy, you have to reach out and start a conversation with them. A partnership between the Fed and the Urban Institute shows how community-engaged research approaches are catching on for good in major institutions.
-
Creative funding and relationships shape affordable housing efforts in central Nebraska
Discover how the Central Nebraska Economic Development District champions affordable housing in rural Nebraska. Executive Director Judy Petersen shares innovative strategies and financing mechanisms for delivering housing solutions in small communities.
-
Regional groups use funding, skills training to build capacity in Appalachian communities
Together, Appalachia Funders Network and the Appalachian Regional Commission leverage each other’s networks to help bridge funding gaps — what they consider an essential ingredient in capacity building.
-
Bridging the rural digital literacy and connectivity divide in New Mexico
Maria Chaparro and Bob Bunting share how authentic community input, coupled with intentional collaboration, is advancing digital inclusion in rural Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
-
Why Rural Matters to the Fed
The Fed’s Rural Learning Community (RLC) shares knowledge about what affects rural communities and how best to foster opportunity in rural areas.
-
Using data and community conversation to support small businesses across New Jersey
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the Philadelphia Fed teamed up to explore equitable post-pandemic recovery and credit access for the state’s small businesses using data from the Fed’s Small Business Credit Survey.